The construction of dams and weirs on watercourses leads to the environment turning from lotic to lentic, with subsequent alteration of the physical and chemical parameters of the water and animal and plant communities, making these areas inappropriate for the saramugo and other native species, besides forming excellent habitat for the proliferation of exotic fish species.
These structures cause fragmentation in the populations and lead to the loss of genetic variability in native fish species, including the saramugo, and decreases their resilience to adverse conditions.
